These cases are so shocking and yet they are just one of the shocking stories that we read from the news because of our wrong notion of beauty. The dictionary describes beauty as the quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality. One famous phrase from the song of Christina Aguilera is, “We are beautiful no matter what they say”. That's absolutely right, but most of us do not believe it. We want to be more admired, appreciated, and respected. We believe that amazing things can happen under our spell if we can improve our appearance. We are obsessed of having the attention of men and the envy of other women. As a result, we see ourselves trying crazy things like a diet inspired by skinny runway models and celebrities with a size zero. Alarming as it sounds, but I think we will not stop unless we’ll see a terrible outcome like the tragic end of the Ramos’ sisters ourselves.
One common perception of beauty is the stereotype of having thin legs, light skin, long hair, and so forth. Most of us give too much emphasis only on the outside. We don’t judge human beings by both the physical and the inner aspect. We all have our own definition of beauty, but we tend to compare ourselves to others.
To be beautiful does not mean that we have to be thin. Our natural bodies have curves. More and more of us spend hundreds to thousands of dollars in beauty products or treatments, and surgery everyday. We take the risk of going under the knife or even fasting to death to be in a certain size. Beauty has inspired the human race since then, but the quest for it has also led to dreadful eating disorders and other related problems, discrimination, and prejudice. Some studies show that physical beauty can make good grades at school, more personalized care from doctors, and or lighter sentences than less attractive convicts in prison. Yes, that's true, but not all beautiful is good and not all good is beautiful. Those stretch marks, sagging arms, natural tanned skin, or flat nose define a real woman’s body. We can't just hide them or be ashamed of them sometimes. Those are the proof that we are women.
Even Tyra Banks (I'm a fan) got negative comments when tabloids ran a photo of her in a bathing suit. They put her under screaming headlines that says, “America's Next Top Waddle” and “Tyra Porkchop”. However, the brave Tyra said, “I've made millions of dollars with the body I have, so where's the pain in that? If I was in pain, I would have dieted. The pain is not there – the pain is someone printing a picture of me and saying those (horrible) things.” In another interview she said, “If I had lower self-esteem I would probably be starving myself right now”.
See? This is now all about self-esteem. That's why I don't let anybody tell me that I am not attractive. Of course, I am beautiful as always. I support Tyra with her “So what?” Campaign for women and their issues. Viva sagging arms! Viva tummy folds! Viva scars and freckles!
Updated: March 9, 2010
